Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story
by Dede42
Summary: Steampunk anyone? The YouTubers meet Jetpack Girl, who needs their help to fix the bride of her former employer, who believes that they are the ones who sabotaged his bride. Can they repair the bride without getting killed?
1. PROLOGUE: A TRAGIC LOVE STORY

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

Ok, so this update is a little late since I slept in today after the hectic three days of work I had this week, especially yesterday as it was Thanksgiving here in the states. Anyway, time to start the next episode and see what the group will have to go up against next. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**PROLOGUE: A TRAGIC LOVE STORY**

In the basement of the mansion, a scientist named Cedric, who had balding white hair, white mustache, blue eyes that were lined with stress wrinkles, and wearing an outfit that practically screamed steampunk, along with his lab, was busy working on a project that he'd already devoted _years_ to already.

At one of the tables, his assistant, a young woman with blonde hair that was cut in a pixie haircut, blue eyes, and wearing a steampunk jetpack on her back, was working on something of her own, which she was certain that her boss would like, and whatever it was she was working on, it was making her smile widely.

* * *

Setting down the blueprints he'd been looking at, Cedric picked up a mechanical heart, which he winded up, and then placed inside the chest of a female automaton that he'd been working on for _years. 'Please let this be the one that works. _Please_.'_ He shut the cover and took a step back after turning on the machine to power her up, and he was delighted when she opened her eyes, stood up, and approached him. "My bride," he said with a smile.

The automaton bride touched his face with her hand and she smiled in return._ `"My husband,"`_ she replied.

Cedric started some music, took her hand, and soon they were dancing a waltz around the lab. "One, two three. One, two, three. One, two, three." After dancing for a bit, they shared a kiss, and then he presented her with an emerald ring that he slipped onto her ring finger of her left hand. "I made this… for you."

The automaton bride looked at the ring and then back at her husband, smiling._ `"I love you,"`_ she said.

"And I love-" Cedric began when his bride began sparking and twitching as something went wrong, and she collapsed onto the floor. "No! No! No! No!" he cried, sinking to his knees and cradled his broken and lifeless bride in his arms.

Hearing the cry, his assistant came over to see what was going on. "What – what happened?" she asked.

"Someone sabotaged me!" Cedric shouted angrily, positive that someone was trying to keep him from having his true love. "Just _please _leave me. Your service are no longer required."

Hurt by his words, his ex-assistant put down what she was working on, and she left the lab while Cedric continued cradling his late bride in his arms. He _knew_ that someone was responsible for taking his bride away from him, and he would make that person _pay_!

'_The person responsible for this _will_ pay!'_ he vowed._ 'Even if I have to _rip_ their heart out to do it!'_ He hadn't wanted to use an actual heart on his bride, but now that someone had _deliberately_ sabotaged all of his hard work, he _would_ cross that line, and any other line if it meant getting his bride back and punishing the saboteur.

* * *

A/N: Poor Cedric. Out of all the lieutenants that worked for the Sorceress, I've always felt sorry for him since all he wanted was a wife and a happy ending.

I will see you all on Monday with the first chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 1: ENGAGING DEFENSE SYSTEM

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

I"m back and things are calming down…at least until Christmas that is, but I do expect things to still get really busy at the movie theater based on past experience of having worked there for over four years now.

Ok, enough about real life, time to see how the group will deal with the next threat to find the next gem. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: ENGAGING DEFENSE SYSTEM**

It'd been an hour since the group had traveled to a different realm, where they had gone up against an Ice Queen, and instead of getting the next gem for the gem map, all they got was a compass, the Torch of Unquenchable Fire, and a magic crystal. Tana had been killed for nothing, and they were all starting to lose hope of _ever_ getting out of that mansion alive.

"All of that for a lousy magic crystal," Dawn grumbled, holding up the bluish crystal that they'd gotten from Sireen. "It's bad enough in fictional works when the bad guys switch up the rules like that, but it _sucks_ when it happens in real life."_ 'There was _no point_ in betraying Tana, and yet when we did, we got _nothing_.'_

Tyler was a little surprised to hear the actress swear, but he knew how she felt. "She just killed one of us because we weren't playing by her rules," he agreed, "and now, we play by her rules, and she doesn't give us a gem?"

Joey sighed, hating all of this. "A life doesn't equal a gem at this point."

"There _are _no rules," Gabbie snapped, angry at the Sorceress for putting them through this hell. "It doesn't matter _who _goes into these little battles to the death. _Somebody's _going to die. We just don't know who."

"But what do we do now?" Ernie wondered. "All we got is that crystal and no clue of what to do next."

"It doesn't make sense," Joey agreed. "There's _gotta _be something more to that."

Suddenly, a horrifying siren noise echoed through the room, scaring the group and they leapt to their feet, looking around wildly for the source. "What the hell?!"

_`"__The home defense system has been enabled,"` _a computerized male voice announced. _"The estate is secure__."`_

"I don't like the sound of that," Dawn said uneasily, pocketing the crystal, and jumped when a nearby door open. "Freaking jump scares!"

"Let's go," Tyler suggested and they all went through the door, even though they weren't entirely sure of what they would be going up against, next.

* * *

The siren was still ringing as they entered the room and found themselves facing a giant machine that had a timer set for ten minutes on the side.

"_Hello_ steampunk," said Dawn with her eyebrows raised.

"What is this?" Andrea wondered.

Alex thought back to the gem map and recalled the symbol that came after the snowflake. "The next picture was a gear. So, this has to be the next threat."

"Makes sense," Dawn agreed as they examined the machine. "So, this timer has been set for ten minutes. But, why?"

"We have this gear," Alex pointed out. "We have this lock. What else do we have?"

"Look for a clue," Joey suggested, and they started looking around the room for anything that could help them figure out what was going on this time.

Alex noticed a small weird gadget on one of the shelves and he picked it up. "This is new." And soon they were finding more items that could be connected to the machine somehow and they set them on the table that the machine was on, including a gear that Gabbie had found. Tyler noted that the lock needed four numbers, but there was no combination…yet.

Tyler noticed a panel on the side of the machine that was missing a gear and had a note. "Wait. It says 'rotate twice'."

"Ok, so we need a gear to put here," said Dawn.

Gabbie picked up the gear she'd found. "Is this it?" she asked.

"Yes," said Tyler, taking the gear and he inserted it into the proper spot.

"Now rotate it twice," said Joey.

Tyler nodded and he rotated the gear twice, which made a small drawer pop out, startling them.

Andrea fished a piece of paper out of the drawer and read it. "'The fuel cell must be secured correctly, or the machine will not run. Once in place, close the panel and pull the lever on the right'." And on the paper was a picture of the fuel cell, which just happened to look like a certain crystal.

"That looks like the crystal that Sireen gave us earlier," Joey remarked.

Dawn took the crystal out of her pocket. "Good thing I brought it with me," she remarked.

Andrea pointed to a tiny compartment on the side of the machine. "It needs to go here."

Dawn put it in the compartment and shut it. "Ok, now what?"

"Pull the lever," Andrea told Tyler.

Nodding, Tyler pulled the lever and a projector in the machine lit up, forcing Alex to get out of the way to avoid being blinded, and they realized that it was a movie of some kind. As they watched, the scene on the screen resolved to reveal what looked to be a cross between a woman and a machine, and they figured that it had to be a cyborg of some kind, which was hooked up to some kind of machine.

"This movie might be telling us what we're going to be facing next," Ernie guessed and the others agreed, focusing on the movie for clues.

Cedric entered the scene and he was looking tired and defeated as he approached the automaton woman._ `"__Subject: Automaton Bride. Attempt 685__,"`_ he said, looking at the camera, and he was holding an emerald ring in one hand.

Andrea realized that she'd found the ring earlier and picked it up. "I think I found her wedding ring."

_`"The generator powering her heart broke under the constant strain,"` _Cedric lamented while looking at his motionless bride, who was clearly beautiful_. `"The friction was just too much."` _He adjusted the camera, and when he spoke again, his voice had hardened._ `"I need a human heart to do this. My conscience is torn…"`_

"That's not good," Dawn said uneasily. "He's planning on taking a _human_ _heart_."

Joey saw on the movie that Cedric was fiddling with the lock on the machine. "That's this."

Just then, the pixie haircut girl poked her head into view._ `"I, uh, have a proposal,"`_ she offered kindly.

_`"I'm _recording_!"`_ Cedric snapped, glaring at her._ `"Have you no manners?"`_

_`"Sorry… I just…"`_ Just then, the movie stopped playing, leaving them with a white screen.

"Did anyone memorize the combination?" Ernie asked desperately.

It took a few tries, but they were able to recall the numbers, and Joey put 7-2-9-9 into the lock, opening it. Reaching inside the machine, he pulled out a red circular container, and inside it, they found the blueprints for the Automaton Bride.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, scaring them all. `_"Critical breach of security. Item number 331 has been compromised,"`_ the computerized voice announced and behind the group, the door slammed shut and locked._ `"The doors have been locked, and the machine will self-destruct in ten minutes…unless the override protocol is engaged."`_ And the timer on the side of the machine began counting down.

"Great, _just_ great!" Dawn snapped, frustrated. "Of _course_, there would be a trap to set off."

"Everybody just start looking for parts!" Gabbie insisted and they began searching the room again for anything that they happened to miss the first time, and Andrea held onto the ring, having a feeling that it would be important later on…providing that they didn't get blown up first.

* * *

_`"The machine will self-destruct in eight minutes."`_

Hearing this had the group on the verge of panicking since they were finding parts, but they weren't sure which one was going to help stop the machine from going boom and killing them all.

Joey looked at the pieces they had and picked up a rod that Alex had found in the floor grate, and he thought that it looked familiar. "Guys, wasn't this from the video?"

_`"The machine will self-destruct in three minutes."`_

"I think it was," Dawn said. "Give me a moment." She shut her eyes, trying to recall what was in the movie they'd just watched. "Um…"

"What're you doing?" Alex asked and Joey hushed him. "Joey-"

"Hush!" Joey insisted. "Dawn has a good memory for this kind of thing, but she needs to concentrate."

Dawn did her best to tune out everything and did a mental recall of the movie, going from scene to scene until – her eyes snapped open. "I remember!" she exclaimed and pointed to a keyhole on the machine. "That's a key and it goes right there!"

Joey immediately inserted the rod into the keyhole. "Please work, please work." And the rod started glowing blue.

"The clock stopped," Alex pointed out, and sure enough the timer had gone back to ten minutes.

_`"Override protocol engaged."`_

The group sighed with relief and Alex patted Dawn on the shoulder. "Good recall, Donny."

"Having my kind of memory has it's perks sometimes," Dawn agreed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whew!"

* * *

A/N: Whew! That was a _close_ call, and no what Dawn has isn't really an eidetic memory, but the ability to recall things that most people would overlook. I'm the same as I can recall things from stories, movies, and TV shows that I really like that other people might forget about or overlook.

I will see you all on Wednesday with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 2: TARGET PRACTICE

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the __Night!_

The countdown has been stopped, but I don't think the group is out of danger just yet. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: TARGET PRACTICE**

Barely a minute had passed when a door on the other side of the room banged open and the man from the movie, Cedric, burst into the room, startling the group. He had some kind of weapon in his hands, a jetpack attached to his back, and pinned to the bronze chest-plate he was wearing – there was a yellow gem.

Before the group could react, Cedric was pointing his weapon at them, and there was an enraged expression on his face. "You destroyed my life's work!" he roared.

"We didn't do anything!" Joey protested as they started backing away from the mad man.

Cedric, however, wasn't listening and began firing some kind of silvery gas at the group, making them scream and run for any sort of cover – when the girl with the jetpack suddenly came into the room through the door that'd been locked, followed by Allison, and zapped Cedric with some kind of device that froze him in place with blue energy.

The girl exhaled and looked at the shaken group. "He's only gonna be like that for a couple of minutes," she informed them. "We gotta get out of here." And she headed back out the door with the group hurrying after her, although Alex paused long enough to grab the blueprints before following, figuring that they were going to need them.

* * *

"What the _hell _was that?" Andrea demanded once they were in the hallway and away from the insane man.

"Who _are_ you?" Joey demanded of the girl, not sure if they could trust her, even though she'd just saved them from whatever that gas was earlier, but he knew better then to trust someone new right off the bat.

The girl stopped walking and faced them, gesturing to her jetpack with an elfish grin. "Jetpack Girl. Nice to meet you."

"_Ok_," said Tyler, deciding that was the strangest name he'd ever heard. "And who was that?" he questioned, referring to Cedric.

"That," Jetpack Girl said with a sigh and her grin vanished, "was Cedric. My old boss. He's a real jerk sometimes. He built this Automaton Bride to love him forever, but it only awoke long enough to, like, crush his soul." She smiled sheepishly. "But he thinks someone sabotaged her, and right now, he thinks y'all did it."

Dawn groaned and ran a hand over her own face. "Great, now we're dealing with mistaken identities…_again._"

Jetpack Girl, however, had an idea, and she had a feeling that the group would be able to help her with it. "I know what we gotta do! We gotta rebuild his Bride! You have the blueprints, right?" she asked eagerly.

"I have them," Alex confirmed, holding them up for Jetpack Girl to see.

"Awesome!" she squealed.

"What's in it for you?" Tyler inquired.

Jetpack Girl sighed again. "I just…" she began and took a breath before trying again. "I just want him to see that I can make something that works, you know?"

"If we do this, are we gonna get the gem?" Ernie asked.

Jetpack Girl thought about it and nodded. "Um…I _think _we can arrange that?"

"Ok, so how can we fix his bride?" Dawn asked, figuring that they didn't have much time until Cedric was freed and would try to come after them again.

"Follow me to the lab," Jetpack Girl said eagerly and they resumed heading down the hallway. "Watch your ass, because he enabled the home defense system."

* * *

The group followed Jetpack Girl into the foyer and toward a doorway. Unfortunately, the moment that Tyler stepped through it, he was immediately bathed in an eerie pink light, and a computerized voice spoke._ `"Intruder detected."`_

"Crap," Jetpack Girl groaned. "You just stepped on a land mine." And Tyler's eyes went wide with fear.

"Tyler, just don't move and we'll get you off that thing somehow," Dawn said reassuringly and crouched down to look. "Oh boy, it looks like a pressure plate." She looked up at Jetpack Girl. "Think we can put something on there to make it think that he's on it?"

Jetpack Girl was about to answer when a panel on a nearby table flipped up, revealing a timer that was counting down from five minutes. "Oh, that's less time than I thought we had."

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Tyler asked uneasily as Dawn got back up.

"No, I refuse to believe that," the brunette retorted. "There's a way out of it, I'm sure of it. There's _always_ a way out."

Jetpack Girl nodded and pointed to a bunch of tiny targets that littered the room that hadn't been there moments ago. "Targets," she informed them. "Targets. Guns! Of course! We _can_defuse the bomb. We just have to hit all the targets before time runs out." She grinned at Tyler, "Hold on, okay? We can still save you."

"Ok," said Tyler with a weak and nervous smile. "I – I trust you guys."

Jetpack Girl hurried to a cabinet and opened it to reveal that it was filled with laser guns, which she and Alison passed around to the group, and she even gave one to Tyler.

Soon they were shooting at the targets as the timer ran down, and even Tyler managed to hit a few of the targets from his spot in the doorway. Every time one of them ran out of power, they hurried over to Alison, who was crouching next to a chest, and she would give them a freshly loaded gun so that they could go back to firing at the targets while she reloaded the guns with fresh power packs as they continued firing at the targets.

* * *

"How many of these targets are there?" Joey wondered while glancing over at the timer, which was down to three minutes. "We gotta hurry!"

Tyler was pointing out any targets that they were failing to hit, and his friends ran around, firing at the targets, getting reloaded guns from Alison, and yet, the timer was still ticking down toward zero, which meant there was still targets left to hit.

* * *

"We've got _seconds_ left!" Dawn yelped, seeing that the timer was down to ten seconds. "Where's the last target?!"

They were searching frantically for the last target and, just when Tyler thought his time was up, Alex spotted the last target above the door and shot it, stopping the timer at 3 seconds. The group cheered and Dawn quickly yanked Tyler away from the land mine, and they hugged.

"I think my leg fell asleep," Tyler gasped and they all laughed, figuring that was better then being blow to bits.

"Ok," Alex said, chuckling. "We're good."

Unfortunately, Cedric came storming into the foyer at that _exact_ moment, this time armed with a different kind of weapon that was designed to fire a net, and his face was red with fury. "You'll pay for what you've done!" he screamed and fired the net directly at the brunette.

"Look out!" Alison knocked Dawn out of the way, resulting in her almost knocking over both Joey and Alex when they caught her, and the vampire got caught in the net instead.

"Alison!" Joey, Dawn, and Alex stared in shock as Jetpack Girl hurried them out of the foyer and down a different hallway. Any doubts they might've had about the vampire had just been erased by her risking her own life to save theirs.

Allison was _definitely_ their protector.

* * *

A/N: Target practice anyone? I will see you all on Friday with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 3: HOW TO BUILD A BRIDE

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the __Night!_

It's time to find and restore the bride, and to get the gem…hopefully. There will be an important announcement at the end of the chapter. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: HOW TO BUILD A BRIDE**

Jetpack Girl lead the group down a flight of stairs and into a red hallway, which was in a part of the mansion that they hadn't been in before, and neither Dawn nor Joey were thrilled to be in yet _another_ basement. But they still followed their new friend, and soon she opened a door, allowing them to enter a lab that was filled with all kinds of broken machinery, half-built projects, and other odds and ends that all screamed steampunk.

Looking around, Gabbie spotted on a reclining chair, a female figure in a white Victorian dress, and she figured that this was the Bride that Cedric had been trying to bring to life. "Guys, there's the Bride!" And sure enough, that was the Automaton Bride and she was looking very life-like, save for the iron mask that covered her face, the open compartment on her chest, and the fact that she was currently broken.

"Ok," Alex said, handing the blueprints to Joey. "The blueprints."

Joey laid the blueprints flat on a clear space on one of the tables and he read the instructions. "'Gather the raw parts and place them in the elevator at the end of the red hall. If they are correct, the master machine upstairs will assemble them so they can be placed on the Automaton'."

Jetpack Girl grabbed a pair of guns off one of the tables. "You guys check it out," she instructed while making sure that both guns were loaded and armed. "I'm gonna go run interference, okay?"

"Ok, and good luck," Dawn said and Jetpack Girl left. "All right, let's find all the parts and get this over with _before_ Cedric figures out that we're in his lab."

Agreeing, the group split up and began searching the lab for the nessecary parts.

* * *

Finding the five parts wasn't easy and they all but tore the lab apart to find the first piece. As the group searched, Dawn did take a closer look at the Automaton Bride and noted that there was a white band on the ring finger of her completed left hand.

"Andrea, do you still have that ring from earlier?" she asked and Andrea nodded, holding up the emerald ring. "I think it goes on her hand."

Andrea joined the brunette and slipped the ring onto the Automaton Bride's finger, finding that it was a perfect fit. "You're right, Donny."

"Here's hoping we can get her operational before Cedric catches up," Dawn agreed and they went back to searching for the remaining parts, finding three more pieces, and Joey couldn't help but play with some of the stuff they were finding and he teased Tyler with a fake hand.

* * *

They were searching for the last part, which was a lightbulb when Alison entered the lab, and she was looking battered.

"Alison!" Dawn exclaimed and she startled the vampire by giving her a hug. "Thanks heavens! What happen to you?"

"We gotta hurry," Alison informed them, panting slightly. "Cedric is readying his Promethean men. They're big, robotic monsters."

The group exchanged uneasy looks, wondering how they suddenly ended up in a _Terminator_ movie with a steampunk theme, and went back to searching for the lightbulb.

* * *

"You guys!" Andrea called out, waving the lightbulb that she'd found, and it was the third piece she'd managed to find. "I found it!"

"We need to put them in the elevator down the red hall," Alex reminded them and they started gathering up the pieces.

Just then, Jetpack Girl reentered the lab. "What's the skinny?" she asked, looking battered since she clearly had been in a battle earlier. "I can't hold them off much longer."

"We got all the pieces," Ernie informed her. "And we need to get to the elevator _right now_."

Jetpack Girl nodded and she lead them back through the red hall to an elevator that was at the other end, and she pushed a button.

The door slid aside to reveal a pedestal and, a little reluctantly since they didn't know what was going to happen, they placed the five pieces inside, and Dawn pulled Joey out before the door slid shut, sending the elevator upstairs to assemble the pieces…hopefully.

* * *

Five minute later, the elevator returned and the door slid aside, revealing a mechanical hand and a weird-looking gadget of some kind.

"We gotta put these on the Bride," said Andrea.

Alex and Ernie grabbed the parts and they started back down the hallway to return to the lab, hurrying since they didn't know when Cedric or his giant robots would show up. They were halfway back to the lab when the two Promethean men appeared in the hallway.

They were terrifying and tall. They wore long black coats, thick boots, and gas masks were covering their faces. (A/N: Cue the _Doctor Who_ jokes about gas masks!)

"Go!" Jetpack Girl screamed as she began firing at the Promethean men to hold them back, and the group fled down the hallway.

* * *

Reaching the lab, they hurried over to the Automaton Bride, where Joey, Alex, and Dawn worked on putting the new mechanical arm in the proper slot while Andrea held the gadget, which she was certain was the heart for the Bride.

They all cringed at the sound of the gunshots firing outside the lab, and it wasn't long before Joey, Alex, and Dawn got the arm connected to the Bride. "The arm's in!"

Andrea nodded and put the heart gadget into the compartment, shutting the cover. "Please work, please work." And she was confused when the Bride didn't come to life.

"Why isn't it working?" Alex wondered, positive that they had done everything right.

"She needs electricity," Joey suggested.

Alex nodded and turned on the nearby machine that was already connected to the Automaton Bride. "Ready?"

"Ok, it's good," Joey confirmed once he and Dawn were certain that the connections were right.

"Everyone stand back," Alex advised and he pulled the lever so that the electricity flowed from the machine and into the Automaton Bride, fully expecting her to come to life just like Frankenstein's monster. But the only thing that happen was a nearby box popping open.

Tyler reached into the box and pulled out a note, reading it. "'You would never listen to me, even though I was your partner. The thing you must add to your Automaton Bride to bring her to life is a real, beating, human heart, freshly pulled from a living person'."

Joey was about to suggest that there had to be another heart that they could use when the Promethean men marched into the lab, and to the horror of the group, one of them had a hand wrapped around Jetpack Girl's throat. Right behind them, Cedric entered as well.

"No!" Joey cried, alarmed to see their new friend captured. "Not Jetpack Girl! Don't hurt her!"

"Let her go!" Dawn shouted. "Don't harm her!"

Cedric ignored them and was looking at the Automaton Bride with a sad expression on his face, unlike the anger from earlier. "She just needs a beating heart," he said sadly. "It's what I was afraid to do before." His expression then changed to that of determination and he faced the group. "But no longer," he continued, pointing at them with his gun. "One of _you_ will give up your heart so that she can live, or all of you will _die_. Select two from among you to do battle with my Promethean's." And he exited the lab before any member of the group could object.

The group exchanged horrified looks. They were going to have to vote on who would go into the final death challenge, and _literately _lose a heart!

* * *

A/N: Things aren't looking too good for the group now that they have to vote for another final death challenge.

Ok, so here's the announcement: Now I have been posting three times a week and, coupled with what I went through last month, and with the holidays, I've decided to start posting only on Wednesdays in order to reduce the stress in my life and actually be able to write fanfics. This is no one's fault but my own, and I'm sure that you all will under stand why I'm doing this.

See you all on Wednesday with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. Chapter 4: MACHINE RACE

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

Sorry about the late update, but I had appointments to attend of the hair cutting kind for one of my sisters and myself, and I had errands to take care of in terms of getting ready for Christmas. Basically, my morning has been busy and I'm already tired.

Anyway, time to see who will go into the final death challenge and who will _literally_ lose their heart. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: MACHINE RACE**

Joey was feeling _horrible_ that they were going to have to vote _again,_ and that whoever lost the final death challenge, would have their heart _literately _ripped out of their chest. And it was clear that _no one_ in the group was looking forward to this particular vote.

The Promethean Man released his grip on Jetpack Girl, who staggered into one of the tables, coughing as she struggled to breath, and both Promethean Men left the lab.

Alison turned to the group. "All right, everyone," she said. "I think we know how this goes." And she went to set up the cards on a nearby table.

"I hate this part, I hate this part," Joey complained, and the whole group agreed. _None_ of them wanted to vote for each other, and yet, they _had_ to in order to get the next gem. Providing that they _would_ get a gem this time.

Tyler had an idea, but he wasn't sure if the others would agree to it. "What if we _all_ put our names in," he suggested, "and she just picks two?"

Both Joey and Dawn were surprised to hear him suggest this, but it did make sense, and they would only have themselves to blame if they got picked for the final death challenge.

"I like that idea," Alex agreed.

Joey and Dawn nodded. "Let's do it."

Alison finished setting up the cards and looked at the group. "Joey, you can go first."

Swallowing, Joey went to the table, picked up his card and showed it to the group. "Joey." He then handed it to Alison and returned to the group, hoping and praying that he wouldn't get picked. Dawn went next, picking up one of her cards, showed it to the group and then gave it to Alison before returning to Joey's side, and they held each other's hands for support.

Andrea went next, wiggling the card so that they could see that it was hers before handing it over to Alison. Gabbie's face was blank of emotions as she showed off her card before handing it over. Tyler stoically revealed his card before handing it over, Eddie did the same with his card, and then Alex merely held up his card before giving it to Alison.

Once she had the cards, Alison shuffled them and chose the first one. After looking at it, she showed it to the group. "Alex."

While the others voiced their concerns, Alex merely nodded, having had a feeling that he would probably go up against the Promethean Men._ 'I can do it,' _he thought._ 'I can win against them.'_

"You can do this," Gabbie stated. "You're the strongest one out of all of us."

Alex nodded and looked at Alison, who'd shuffled the cards again and was waiting to draw one. "Who is my opponent?"

Alison drew the card and revealed it to the group. "Gabbie."

Gabbie hung her head for a moment and then nodded while sighing. "Ok."

Before following Jetpack Girl and Alison, Gabbie and Alex quickly hugged the others, and each were hoping that they would be able to come back to the group.

Joey, Dawn, Andrea, Eddie, and Tyler watched their friends leave, and they were all wondering which one would come back and which would lose their heart.

* * *

Alex and Gabbie followed Alison and Jetpack Girl outside to where the Promethean Men were waiting on either side of a giant steampunk machine. Waiting on top of the machine was a small book, which Alex picked up and he read the instructions that they were going to have to follow in order to complete the challenge.

"'You must each try to bring the steam machine to life. For every puzzle you solve, a Promethean will take one step closer to the other guest. Solve all four, then pull the lever. The harder you work, the faster you kill your friend'."

Exchanging uneasy looks and glancing uneasily at the Promethean Men, Alex and Gabbie moved to either side of the machine while Jetpack Girl stood in front of it with her gun in hand.

"Ready?" she asked and they both nodded, and she raised gun into the air, firing off a single shot of blue light. "Go!"

Alex immediately checked the blueprints on his side of the machine and noticed a pump on the base, connected to a glass tube that held two white balls. He stepped on the pump several times, Gabbie doing the same on her side, and they both launched a ball into the air. They both caught the balls and Alex noted that there was a slot for the ball, and he put it inside. He then repeated the process with the second ball.

The moment that both balls were in the slot, a drawer swung open, and he was about to check it when Gabbie asked him a question about whether anything happen for him, and when he was about to answer, the Promethean Man behind her took a step forward._ 'I completed the first task,'_ he realized while Gabbie let out a startled yelp.

"Oh God," Gabbie moaned, trying to get the second ball into the slot, but she kept dropping it. "Oh God. Oh _God_." She then managed to get the ball into the slot and the drawer on her side slid open, resulting in the other Promethean Man taking a step toward Alex.

"Omigosh," Alex gasped, laughing nervously. "Ok."

Inside the drawers was a small lever each, and both Alex and Gabbie grabbed them, checking the blueprints to figure out where they were suppose to go on the machine, and Gabbie managed to find the crank slot first. Inserting the lever, she cranked it until a nearby locker opened, and the Promethean Man took another step toward Alex.

Seeing what Gabbie had done, Alex quickly did the same with his crank and the locker on his side opened, which meant that the other Promethean Man took a step toward Gabbie.

They both found cables in the lockers, and they went to work on attaching them, plus Alex noticed that there was a cable behind him that he hadn't noticed before, and soon enough, he had all three cables plugged into their proper places on both the machine and on a nearby pump. The bottom chamber on the locker opened, revealing a toolbox, and the Promethean Man took another step toward Gabbie, who was still struggling with the cables.

"Did you do something?" she asked desperately, upset that she'd lost her edge in the challenge _and_ the Promethean Man was closer now. "Dammit! I don't get it! You just plugged these in?"

Alex nodded as he took out the toolbox and set it on the ground where Gabbie couldn't see it. "Yeah."

Gabbie tried one of the plugs in a slot and yelped when a bunch of sparks shot out. "Ow!"

Alex did his best to ignore her as he pulled the white pieces of a puzzle that seemed familiar. "I used to be pretty good at these when I was younger," he remarked, and went to work on the puzzle.

"Hey, Alex," Gabbie said desperately. "Alex, you wanna try to help me out, fam?"

Alex hesitated for a moment before looking over at her. "You plugged three plugs in? One next to the pump?"

"No," Gabbie admitted. "I did not."

Alex shrugged and went back to the puzzle. "There you go."

Nodding, Gabbie went to work on putting the plugs into their proper slots and soon she completed the task, which meant the Promethean Man took a step toward Alex, who did his best to ignore the robotic man and focused on the puzzle.

Gabbie took out the toolbox, dumped out the puzzle pieces, and she went to work, trying to solve it as quickly as she could, hoping to get it done before Alex completed his, even though he had a head start on her. "Any idea what we're building, Alex?"

Alex shrugged, having just turned the toolbox over and found a diagram of the puzzle. "I think you can get that one."

Gabbie tried to get the puzzle pieces to fit, but she was having a hard time of it, and she was certain that Alex was ahead of her on the puzzle, but she couldn't see what he was doing. "I'm missing something _huge,_" she stated, "and I don't know what it is."

Alex was halfway through his puzzle and decided that he could give Gabbie a hint. "I think I got enough of a head start," he said before nodding to the toolbox next to her. "Turn your box over."

Gabbie turned the box over and found the same diagram. "Thanks," she said and started on the puzzle, now having a better idea of what to do.

By this point, Alex had only one piece to put in place in order to complete the puzzle, and he hesitated. He knew that if he was to win, then Gabbie would die from having her heart ripped out of her chest by the Promethean man, and yet, he _also_ knew that if he _didn't_ win, then _he_ would have his heart ripped out instead.

"Oh, is this it?" he wondered while gritting his teeth, glancing at Gabbie, who was halfway through her puzzle. "I don't want you to die," he confessed. "But one of us has to." He then put the final piece in place and stood up.

When Gabbie saw this, her heart _dropped._ "Alex, please don't!" she pleaded.

Alex approached the lever, knowing that when he pulled it, Gabbie would die, and he could tell that she was terrified.

"Alex, no!" Gabbie kept pleading. "Alex! Give me another minute! Please!"

Alex shook his head as he gripped the lever, once again having a better understanding of what it was like for Joey and Dawn last year. "I'm sorry," he said, and he truly was. Looking away from her, he pulled the lever, activating the steam machine, and then he decided that he wasn't going to let Gabbie die when the Promethean Man started toward her.

Unfortunately, when Alex moved to help Gabbie, the Promethean Man behind him immediately grabbed his arms, restraining him, and he struggled to break free. "Wait!" he shouted, trying to make the Promethean Men see reason. "No! Gabbie! _No!_"

Gabbie saw the Promethean Man moving toward, saw Alex being restrained, and she knew that she was going to die, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. "No…no…" she pleaded as the Promethean Man grabbed her and she fought to break free. "Listen! No!"

The Promethean Man, however, pinned her to the ground, ignoring her attempts to break free, along with Alex's shouts, and he then plunged his hand into her chest, making her cry out in pain until she went limp as he ripped the still beating heart out of her chest.

"No! Stop! Gabbie!" Alex screamed and struggled, but the moment he saw the heart in the Promethean Man's hand did he finally stop fighting, and he hung his head in shame._ 'I'm _so_ sorry, Gabbie,'_ he thought as Cedric walked out of the shadows to inspect the beating heart that the Promethean Man was holding._ 'I'm so, so, _so_ sorry.'_

Cedric nodded in approval of the heart and walked past Alex, along the Promethean Man with the heart, and when the other Promethean Man began moving him toward the doorway to go back inside, he began fighting again, trying to get free so that he could get revenge for Gabbie.

Although the Promethean Man was stronger then him, Alex kept struggling in his grip anyways as they reentered the mansion.

* * *

A/N: RIP, Gabbie, RIP. I will see you all on Wednesday with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	6. Chapter 5: HEART AND GEM

Escape the Night: Automaton Love Story

A/N: Hello, world and welcome back to _Escape the Night!_

It's time to bring this episode to an end, and I will have an important announcement at the end of the chapter. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Escape the Night_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE: HEART AND GEM**

When they entered the red hallway that lead to the lab, Cedric turned to face Alex and nodded to the Promethean Man restraining him. "Let him go," he ordered and the Promethean Man did so. "I'm sorry for your friend, but it had to be done."

"Like _hell_ that it had to," Alex spat, glaring at the older man.

Cedric merely blinked and headed for the lab with Alex reluctantly following him, and both Promethean Men followed, too.

* * *

In the lab, the group was getting antsy from waiting to see who would come back from the final death challenge, and when the Promethean Men entered, they all gasped when they saw that one of them was holding a beating heart in his hand.

"That's an _actual_ heat," Dawn gasped fearfully, gripping Joey's arm in fear. "Oh God…"

"Where's Alex?" Joey wondered, holding her close. "Where's Gabbie?" Where were their friends? Which one did that heart belong to?

Just then, a figure came through the doors and between the two Promethean Men, and it was Alex, who was looking heart-broken.

They wanted to ask what happen, but it was clear to the group that if Alex was there, then Gabbie was dead, and that was _her_ heart that the Promethean Man was holding.

As Alison, Jetpack Girl, and Cedric entered the lab, Dawn and Joey quickly pulled Alex to their side as the Promethean Man handed the heart to Cedric.

"Is that Gabbie's heart?" Andrea finally asked.

Alex nodded grimly. "That's Gabbie's heart."

The whole group thought they were going to be sick, Tyler, Joey, and Dawn had one hand clamped over their mouths and another on their stomaches, and they all had to watch as Cedric carried the beating heart over to the Automaton Bride. When he reached the Bride, he removed the mask to reveal her beautiful face, earning some amazed gasps from the group, and she was _truly_ beautiful, even with some of the metal parts that covered certain areas on her face.

Cedric ignored them as he removed the gadget from earlier and placed the heart into the compartment on the Automaton Bride's chest. He shut the lid, and the Bride immediately came to life. Standing up, she embraced him, and they were both_ very_ happy.

While it was a touching moment that would've been romantic in any other setting, Alex just wanted to get the gem and get out of there, for he had had enough. "Now give us the gem!" he snapped, holding out his hand.

Cedric glanced at the group, removed the gem from his chest-plate, and handed it to Alex, who was quick to take it. Cedric then focused on his bride. "Come, my Bride," he said with a dreamy smile on his face. "Let's go far away from this place." And they left the lab together, the Promethean Men following after them, along with Jetpack Girl.

* * *

The group returned to the lounge, sinking into the chairs and couches while Alex handed the gem to Joey, unable to do it. "You can put it in, I can't."

While Joey put the gem in the proper slot on the gem map, making it glow yellow, Dawn got Alex to sit down on the couch. "Alex, I know what you're going through," she said empathically. "I felt the same way last year when I couldn't keep Benny from being killed, along with Lele. You're not alone in feeling like this."

Alex smiled sadly at her and squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Donny."

Joey and Tyler were examining the next symbol on the gem map, trying to make sense of it. "What the _heck_ is this?"

Ernie bent down for a look and he shrugged since it was a circle with lines running through it. "No idea."

"It could be beehive, maybe," Andrea suggested.

Joey shook his head, squinting at it. "Maybe a planet?"

"Wait," said Tyler. "What time is it?"

"It's five minutes to midnight," Alison announced and the hearts of the group all dropped to their feet the moment they heard that.

"Oh God."

"That's not good."

"What're we going to do?"

They all recalled the note that Gabbie had found from the Sorceress hours earlier. A note that said that at midnight, _everything_ was suppose to change, and knowing the Sorceress, it wasn't going to be anything good.

What was going to happen next?

To Be Continued…

* * *

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

* * *

A/N: What _will_ happen come midnight? That will have to remain a mystery for now, and now for the announcement.

Ok, so with next Wednesday falling on Christmas Day, I will be posting the next chapter on Monday instead, and then I should be able to do the regular post on New Year's Day. If not, then it will be on Monday again. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


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